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Adam Silver sets himself apart from predecessor David Stern

NEW ORLEANS – New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stood alone at the podium inside the New Orleans arena press conference room on Saturday night, his bald head glistening amid the scores of television cameras and

NEW ORLEANS — New NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stood alone at the podium inside the New Orleans arena news conference room on Saturday night, his bald head glistening amid the scores of television cameras and his hip unattached to David Stern's for the first time in decades.

"This press conference feels awkward for me, because, one, I'm not sitting, and also I'm not sitting next to my longtime friend, mentor, and boss, David Stern," said Silver, who noted that Stern was taking a few weeks of vacation before beginning his role as consultant for the league that grew to such great heights while on his watch. "It goes without saying that virtually none of us would be here without David. I want to thank him personally for his friendship, his leadership, his mentorship over all these many years."

In what was his first globally televised state of the league address since coming into power on Feb. 1, Silver spoke for more than 30 minutes and delivered the same sort of message publicly that he has privately for most of his 22 years with the NBA. He is, by seemingly every knowledge account, an inclusive, insightful and inspired executive who discussed his vision for the burgeoning league while sharing elements of his personal story during this getting-to-know-you period that will likely continue for quite some time.

From Rye, N.Y., to Duke University to the University of Chicago Law School to a 22-year career in the NBA that began when he was hired as Stern's special assistant, Silver has a love for the game that he explained in great detail to a room packed full of reporters. He emphasized the community aspect of the NBA on several occasions, and even shared a letter written to him recently by former player and former Charlotte Bobcats coach Sam Vincent that expressed his similar sentiment.

"Over the course of the last few days, I've addressed everyone from the doctors of the NBA to the Mothers Association to the legends of the game, current players, owners, team presidents," said Silver, who had been Stern's deputy commissioner since 2006. "It truly is a village of people involved with this league, and it's a privilege every day to be part of it.

"So many of my colleagues here are sitting in the front row alongside of me. And what David has left behind is not just me as commissioner, but a group of what I believe are the very best executives in all of sports, maybe in any industry, who are going to continue to help guide this league with me. So I'm tremendously appreciative of them."

The banter and occasional edge that Stern was so well known for in these settings was gone, replaced by the humble 51-year-old who was queried at length about his plans for the league that now boasts annual revenues of approximately $5.6 billion. His recent talking points remained mostly the same, from his desire to examine whether the draft lottery system should be changed to his strong view that the minimum age in the NBA should be 20 as opposed to 19 to his hope that a new deal can be reached between the NBA and its digital and television media partners at ESPN, TNT and ABC (their current deal expires after the 2015-16 season).

Silver's early essence came through for most of his first big-scale session, but never moreso than when he fielded one of several questions about the draft lottery. One reporter asked Silver's opinion about a particular outside-the-box idea, then offered to submit a formal proposal for his consideration. Somewhere, Stern was surely chuckling, perhaps pondering the witty way he would have handled the situation. But this was Silver, so he smiled and — as will be the case from here on out — decided to do it his way.

"Well, send me the proposal," he said to the man. "I'm happy to look at it."